Chapter Nineteen
Waiting
Cat continued to bleed every day, and on the seventh day the bleeding stopped.
Cat got out of bed,"I refused to stay in bed another minute. Chance,the bleeding and cramps are gone."
Chance held his wife close,"if anything happened to you Cat, it would kill me."
Chance lightly rubbed his wife's belly,"soon you will feel movement,and your belly will get larger."
Cat touched her husband's hand,"I will never leave you, I love you Chance."
Three weeks later, the group had to walk further, than ever before collecting firewood.The five girls walked together.
Julie picked up two branches,"Cat don't you dare pick up, or carry any wood."
Amy grunted picking up a heavy branch,"don't you worry Julie, she has more baby sitters than daycare."
Page struggled with an arm full of firewood,"you won't be pregnant forever Cat, then we'll hold your cute little bundle of joy, while you do our back breaking work."
Lizy imitated cradling a baby in her arms,"I can't wait to get my hands on her, she will be as cute as a button."
Cat frowned,"what if she is a he Lizy?"
Before Lizy could answer, she slid down a steep hill.Cat was standing next to Lizy, she slid down the hill as well. Lizy went face first into a pile of mud, at the bottom of the hill. Cat wasn't as lucky, half way down the hill, she hit her head on a tree. Cat continued to slide, hitting her belly into Lizy's leg's.
Six guys carried Cat back to camp and her bed, as quickly as possible.
Amy applied pressure to the bleeding head, with a damp towel,"Cat won't stop bleeding, she needs stitches."
Chance couldn't hit the needle eye with the thread, his hands were shaking too badly
Kyle took the needle and thread from the shaking hand,"Amy removed the towel, and dab the blood as I sew."
Kyle knotted each stitch, not daring to think about it being human skin.Taxidermy was his creepy hobby, hoping one day to become a surgeon.
Kyle touched each stitch mentality counting them,"I think ten stitches is enough, the bleeding has stopped."
Chance kissed his wife's forehead,"she won't wake up, she won't wake up!
Lizy looked at her bruised legs,"check Cat's belly, she hit my legs hard."
Amy lifted the shirt, Cat's belly was bruised below her naval.
Chance cried into his wife's hair,"this is all my fault, I should have made her stay home."
Two days went by, Cat had not awakened.
Amy was determined to keep her friend alive," as long as Cat eats and drinks, she will keep on living. One half of a teaspoon of water, broth or goat milk,every twenty minutes, will be enough nutrition. Cat swallows that much at least."
Lizy took her turn feeding her comatose friend,"I strained stew, through my best shirt. That a girl Cat, eat up."
Chance heard the girls speak to him," you don't have to be here girls, I can feed Cat. I only leave her side to use the outhouse. When I sleep, is when you're needed."
Lizy hugged the leader,"don't give up hope Chance, there is no blood, the baby is still alive. Cat will wake up soon, I'm sure she will."
Amy handed the leader a breakfast plate,"eat the eggs, toast and pancakes Chance, you must keep up your strength."
Chance accepted the plate of food, "girls gather the group, I have an announcement."
The group gathered around the cook fire. Chance stood before them,"I have something to tell you all, that I should have said, when me and Cat came back to camp. When me and Cat were lost in the jungle, we said vows of marriage to each other. It might not be legal, but in God's eyes it is real. When our child was conceived, it was in wedlock."
Page cried,"you didn't have to hide it from us Chance."
Kevin held back tears,"when we go home, we all will be at your legal wedding Chance."
Chance looked at his shoes,"I don't think we will get that chance, it's just a matter of time, until she leaves me.Please excuse me, I need to feed my sleeping beauty."
Megel ran to the cave digging in the dirt, he grabbed the plastic bag opening it. He reached into the bag, taking out his satellite phone. He removed the battery flipping it over, then hooked it back up
Megel touched the numbers, the phone rang,"hello uncle Pedro code red."
Twelve hours, thirty six minutes, twenty three seconds after Megel's call, a crate parachuted into a clearing near the cave. Twenty three seconds later, a man parachuted three feet from the crate.
Pedro Lopez unhooked the parachute, running the few feet to the crate. His six feet one inch height, made him far to visible. At one hundred and sixty five pounds, even more noticeable. He pushed his long black hair behind his back, his dark brown eyes fixated on his task.Pedro quickly opened the crate,removing a backpack, he ran into the cabin.
Pedro saw the girl running to her,he unzipped the backpack,"I'm Megel's uncle Pedro, he called for my help. How long has she been comatose?"
Jake answered the question,"it's the fourth day."
Pedro shined a light into her eyes, opening each eyelid,"no
Response."
Pedro quickly removed an IV drip, putting it into her arm,"Megel was right to have called me, I need to evacuate her, as soon as possible."
Chance stood up,"I'm going with her."
Pedro looked him dead in the eyes,"I can take only the girl, or I will be leaving alone."
Jake swallowed his pride,"ok what should I do?"
Pedro devised a plan,"it is nearly dark, I will carry her to the fishing hole. A raft and a nurse are waiting to take us to a helicopter.Jake you distract the group,once we're gone, tell them the camp sent me."
Chance kissed his wife goodbye, then headed to the cook fire. The group was eating dinner at swim camp.Chance sat down being handed a plate.
Amy stood up,"i'll go sit with Cat while you eat Chance."
Chance stood up," no Amy eat your dinner, Cat will be fine. It's been to long since we all, have ate as a group. "
Chance's heart was beating so fast, he worried he would hyperventilate.The one time in his entire life,when lying meant life or death. If anyone walked away, he was prepared to beat them with his fists. He silently prayed, that he didn't have to do such a horrible thing.
Twenty minutes later, Amy served a treat,"this is my strawberry pie, I hope you all like it."
Chance silently thanked God, Jesus and all the Saints,for Amy's strawberry pie.
The male nurse helped Pedro load Cat into the raft, they were out of sight ten minutes later. The helicopter took Cat to Pedro's ship, twelve hours later Cat was admitted to a hospital. Six days later Cat woke up, having no memory of who she was, or where she had been. On a tip from Pedro's nephew Megel, Cat took a pregnancy test, and had a pelvic exam. The girl who was five months pregnant, had never been pregnant at all. The previous bleeding was Cat's period, the missed periods were from stress.
The group arrived back at their cabins, finding that Cat was gone.Chance told them a partial truth," a camp doctor came to the cabin, while you all were eating dinner. I was told that, he would only take Cat. If anyone else tried to go, he would leave her to die. I hope you all will forgive me, for distracting you,while Cat was taken away to a hospital."
Amy cried so hard that she barely made sense,"I'm glad you lied Chance."
Julie had snot hanging from her nose, from crying"I need a tissue, ok a shirt."
Page soaked her leader's shirt, with her tearful hug,"I'm so relieved that Cat is in a hospital Chance."
Lizy held tight hugging her cousin,"I have never been more proud of you cuz."
Ronny and Kevin were crying too hard to talk, they hugged Chance, then walked away.
Jake shook the leader's hand,"you did the right thing Lenerd Sanders, don't let anyone tell you any different."
Steve gave his hero a kiss on the cheek,"that's for Cat, and your baby."
Kyle shook the leader's hand,"you see why, they chose you to lead them,you always do the right thing."
Matty whispered into the leader's ear, as he hugged him,"you're welcome."
Megel turned on the Satellite phone, calling his uncle Pedro, every day for seven days.On the seventh day Pedro answered,"Catherin Rivers awoke from her coma yesterday, she had no idea who she is, or where she had been.The doctors are not sure if her memory will return.A pregnancy test and pelvic exam, were performed on Catherin.
She was not pregnant, and had never been pregnant. The bleeding you spoke of nephew, was Catherine's period, the missed periods, were most likely from stress."
Pedro got personal,"I love you nephew, be careful."
Megel said the words,"I love you too uncle Pedro, good bye."
A small box with a little parachute landed near the cabin. The label read to Chance Sanders.
The group gathered around Chance watching him open the box.
Chance removed the typed written letter reading it out loud,"the letter head is, Island Camp medical, it reads.Catherine Rivers was evacuated to the nearest hospital, she regained consciousness shortly after arriving.After a few days of observation,she was sent home to her family.Catherine will not be returning, her camp experience is over."
Chance and the entire group cried, as he read the letter.
Jake shook his fist,"that can't be all they have to say! What about the rest of us?When is our camp experience ending?"
Amy clung to the leader's arm,"the important thing is Chance, that Cat is safe and healthy at home.Her parents will get her the prenatal care she needs, she will give birth in a hospital."
Chance crumbled the paper, throwing it onto the ground,"it mentioned nothing about our baby, it must not have survived her fall."
Lizy hugged her cousin,"Lenered Sanders don't you dare think like that, Cat may be hiding her pregnancy? In a few months, she will be showing, unable to hide it from her parents."
Ronny's eyes pleaded to the leader,"thinking the worst leads to nothing good, we need you Chance.Don't what if yourself, we need our leader sane."
Chance's mind raced, to all of the things that he knew, but the group didn't.Cat's marriage to him was real.How would she deal without him in the outside world?How many more months would they be apart?Would his wife give birth, without him being with her?Would he return home to his baby? Would he return home to a toddler? Would he be gone so long, that Cat divorced him? He was overwhelmed, his heart was broken.
Matty took the leader's hand walking away with him,"uncle Pedro spoke to me last night, he didn't say much. Cat is healthy and at home, her fetus is healthy."
Chance hugged the boy,"thank you so much Megel, I worried the fall, killed our unborn child. I can deal with my situation now, I will keep us all alive until rescued."
Megel hated lying, but the truth would have destroyed Chance.Cat having no memory of him, their love or marriage. The child that Chance envisioned, was never conceived. Those were secrets that Megel would keep to himself.
Ronny played tic tac toe in the sand, determined to win one game,"I have you this time Kyle."
Kyle drew a vertical line with a stick,"o's win again, you up for another game Ronny?"
Ronny stood,"no thanks, losing ten in a row, is my limit."
Kyle's competitive nature, lost him yet another competitor.
Amy stirred the stew,"how long do you think, that Chance will hug the cradle crying this time Page?"
Page sat plates on the newly made table,"every day for two weeks, you ask me that same question Amy. I don't know, is always my answer."
Lizy poured cups of water,"my cousin is dealing with it, the only way Chance knows how to. I'm just glad he is eating more, I just made our last box of cake mix. I'm going to give Chance the largest piece of cake."
Julie put silverware upon the table,"crying is good for the soul, it always makes me feel better."
Page disagreed,"looking forward is better, daydreaming about the future. If my parents sent me here as a punishment, they're going to pay for my therapy, for the rest of my life. That's how I will punish them,which gives me reason to smile."
Amy laughed,"you're so weird Page."
After dinner was over, Kyle followed the boy for a private conversation,"who is Pedro? I was near a tree all alone, when I heard a man's deep voice. He said that his name was Pedro, and he had a message for Megel. He can't talk to you again, he is forbidden."
Megel shrugged,"I have no idea who he is, I have never spoke to him.It must be some kind of test between us Kyle, I'm not playing their game."
Kyle looked down at the boy,"me either kid."
Kyle walked away going back to camp.
Megel got the message loud and clear, from his step father's brother. Pedro was forbidden to aid him by the Captain.No matter how dire the circumstance, his uncle was unable to intervene.